Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Heroines

Sat at my PC yesterday I was trying to come up with a topic for today's Top Ten Tuesday freebie, and saw a joke on Twitter about a guy having a closet full of action figures of Buffy, Wonder Woman and Supergirl - does that make him a heroine addict?

Look, I didn't say it was a GOOD joke.

Anyway, with that, I started thinking of some of my favourite ever heroines in YA fiction - and once I'd reached 7 or 8, thought "Hey, here's my top 10 for the week!"

So, without further ado except for a brief disclaimer...

Characters listed alphabetically by first name. As usual with lists like these, there are so many wonderful heroines I can think of that on another day I could have brought five different ones in and still been happy with my list - but that's part of the fun of making these!

Cammie Morgan - Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter - Cammie the Chameleon starts off as a likeable character and quickly becomes completely loveable over the course of the four GG books so far. Smart, loyal, a great friend, and able to handle herself in potentially lethal situations, she stands out from the crowd even when that crowd consists of her similarly skilled Gallagher Girl sisters.

Drina Adams - Drina series by Jean Estoril - I love the Drina series, it's one of the few girls' own sequences which still holds up about half a century after first being published. The central character's development from a young girl dreaming of dancing to where she ends up (deliberately vague to avoid spoilers, which is possibly too careful even for me given the books are now out of print, I think) is outstanding.

Genie Magee - The Repossession by Sam Hawksmoor - Part of me feels bad throwing in a character from a series which isn't even out yet, but having been lucky enough to review this one for The Bookbag I couldn't possibly leave Genie out. The psychically gifted Genie and her boyfriend Rian are both superb characters, and I think she'll be a big favourite with readers this year. Can't wait for the sequel in August!

Jen Robins - Abbey Girls series - Starting the series as a slightly nervous schoolgirl and growing up to be the heart of the series as a married lady, I love the way Jen develops as a character. I find the Abbey series hit and miss as to how well they've lasted through the years, but the best of them are still extremely readable.

Kat Stephenson - The Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson series by Stephanie Burgis - I don't think I've ever been hooked on a series so quickly, having absolutely devoured the first couple in this trilogy last week and eagerly anticipating book 3. Vivacious, witty, and incredibly loyal to her family, Kat is a wonderful Georgian heroine who can not only use magic but also throw a mean punch.

Lottie Biggs - Lottie Biggs trilogy by Hayley Long - I described the first in the Lottie Biggs series as "brilliantly, staggeringly, life-affirmingly superb". It's a pretty apt description of the narrator of this wonderful contemporary series herself, mind.

Nell Beecham - Mist by Kathryn James - From Nell's quip to her new friend Evan after she threatens to break a bully's thigh bone with the Heavenly Strike kick - "My mum's a police officer. Do you think I'd get ballet lessons?" - right to the end of this refreshing adventure, she's a seriously cool heroine. Can't wait to read book 2, Frost!

Nia Lloyd - Emlyn's Moon by Jenny Nimmo - I love the change we see in Nia over the course of this book, from "Nia can't do nothing" as her brothers nickname her, to a young girl acknowledging her talents and playing a part in settling family rows dating back years.

Violet Willoughby - Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey - Likeable, spunky and clever, Violet - the daughter and not very willing assistant of a charlatan medium - is a great character in this excellent standalone from Alyxandra Harvey.

Wynter Moorehawke - Moorehawke trilogy by Celine Kiernan - The central character in my favourite fantasy series of recent years - although, to be fair, Curtis Jobling's Wereworld is running it close - apprentice carpenter Wynter is just wonderful. I love the relationships between her and her friends Razi and Christopher, and between her and her father, there's fabulous character development throughout the series, and the actions of all of the characters are deeply thought-provoking.

7 comments:

I haven't read most of these books, but I read Haunting Violet and totally love that book! Violet was such a kick-butt character, great choice! I keep debating if I should read the Gallagher girls series so I'm glad to hear they have an awesome heroine!